Two children are dead after police in two South Texas cities said they were left in hot vehicles this week.
On Tuesday afternoon, a 22-month-old toddler was found in a vehicle at a middle school in Corpus Christi, the city’s police department said in a press release.
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When police and fire officials arrived at the scene, the school nurse was performing CPR on the infant, the release said.
The toddler was transported to a local hospital, where they later died, according to the release. Police are not sure how long the child was left in the vehicle.
Detectives with CCPD arrested the child’s mother, 33-year-old Hilda Ann Adame, who is being charged with injury to a child and abandonment of a child, the release said.
Less than 24 hours later, on Wednesday, a 9-month-old died in Beeville from being left in a hot vehicle, a Facebook post from Beeville police stated.
The child’s grandmother allegedly left the child in the rear seat of her car in a child safety seat at 8:30 a.m. The child was found non-responsive around 4 p.m. by the grandmother, the post said.
The Department of Public Safety Texas Rangers are investigating this case with Beeville police as a criminal homicide.
No charges have yet to be filed; however, “such charges are expected to be filed,” Beeville police said in the post.
There have been 26 children who have died in a hot car nationwide this year, according to Kids and Car Safety, a nonprofit dedicated to saving the lives of children and pets in and around motor vehicles.
Since 1991, Texas has led with the highest number of children who died in a hot car at 158 children, the organization said.
“We are committed to the push for occupant detection technology in all cars immediately. As we continue our advocacy, children continue to die week after week. It is beyond heartbreaking,” Founder and President of Kids and Car Safety Janette Fennell said in a press release.
Below are important safety tips to remember:
- Make sure your child is never left alone in a car.
- Place the child’s diaper bag or item in the front passenger seat as a visual cue that the child is with you.
- Make it a habit of opening the back door every time you park to ensure no one is left behind. To enforce this habit, place an item that you can’t start your day without in the back seat (employee badge, laptop, phone, handbag, etc.)
- Ask your childcare provider to call you right away if your child hasn’t arrived as scheduled.
- Clearly announce and confirm who is getting each child out of the vehicle. Miscommunication can lead to thinking someone else removed the child.
Ways to make sure children cannot get into a parked car:
- Keep vehicles locked at all times, especially in the garage or driveway. Ask neighbors and visitors to do the same.
- Never leave car keys within reach of children.
- Use childproofing knob covers and door alarms to prevent children from exiting your home unnoticed.
- Teach children to honk the horn or turn on hazard lights if they become stuck inside a car.
- If a child is missing, immediately check the inside, floorboards and trunk of all vehicles in the area carefully, even if they’re locked.
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